Reading from books, notebooks, folders, and other rigidly bound reading materials is part of everyday life. Often individuals need to hold the reading material in one hand while they turn pages, make annotations, or otherwise manipulate the reading material.
In order for the individual to maintain control of the reading material free from slipping or dropping, the reading material usually must be held in a near horizontal position at approximately elbow level. If the individual wishes to write on the reading material or search through its contents for a specific page, it is often more convenient to place the reading material on a stable flat surface, such as a desk or table, rather than attempting to securely hold the reading material in one hand.
Circumstances, however, may make setting down the reading material impractical or impossible. For example, an individual standing in a choir may not be conveniently near a music stand or table. Another example is if the individual is handicapped, with limited mobility of arms or hands, setting down and picking up the reading material may prove difficult if not impossible.
Another difficulty arises if the individual needs to hold the reading material with one hand at a steeply inclined position away from his or her body. This situation could occur under a number of circumstances. One circumstance would be if the individual is in a choir and needs to hold the reading material high and in front of his or her body so that he or she can easily see the conductor just over the top of the reading material. Another circumstance might be if the individual's eyesight requires the reading material to be held as far away from the body as possible.
A typical music folder is illustrated in FIG. 1. The music folder 100 consists of a cover 102, an inelastic hand strap 104 permanently attached to the cover's outside, and an inelastic stop strap 106 permanently attached to the cover's interior. The music folder 100 suffers from several deficiencies. One is that the music folder 100 must be in the open position before the cover 102 and the hand strap have defined an opening large enough for a hand to be inserted in the opening. Another deficiency is that once a hand is inserted between the cover 102 and the inelastic hand strap 104, the folder cannot be closed. An additional deficiency is that the inelastic stop strap 106, which prevents the music folder 100 from opening too wide, interferes with turning pages of reading material. Yet another deficiency is that the music folder 100 can only hold loose leaf papers, thus precluding the ability to hold books, notebooks, or other folders. What is needed is a simple, reliable, cost effective and easily manufactured holder for all types of reading matter that may be manipulated with one hand without restriction to orientation or position.